Thermometer



NOV. 19, 1935. NEUWIRTH 2,021,697

THERMOMETER Filed Oct. 17, 1934 INVENTOR Herman Neu wf/z ATTORN EY Patented Nov. 19, 1935 UaiTED STATES PATENT orties THERMOMTER Herman Neuwirth, New York, N. Y.

Application October 17, 1934, Serial No. 748,618

2 Claims.

to manufacture, and shall be efficient and prac- `cal to a high degree in use.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter-pointed out..

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the constructions hereinafter described and of which the scope of application will be indicated in the following claims.

Fig. 1 is a central sectional view taken through a suspendable type refrigerator thermometer constructed to embody the invention;

Figs. 2 and 3 are cross sectional views correspending to cuts taken on lines 2--2 and 3 3, respectively, in Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a front elevational View of a thermometer adapted to be mounted in upstanding position against a vertical support, partly broken away to show the interior construction;

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of the thermometer shown in Fig. 4

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary View of. the thermometer construction shown in Figs. 4 and 5 with the means assembled for overhead mounting against a vertical support;

Fig. 7 is a front elevational View of a table, desk or shelf type thermometer, partly broken away to show the interio-r base construction, and

Fig. 8 is a bottom plan View of the thermometer base shown in Fig. 7.

Referring in detail to the drawing, I0 denotes a thermometer constructed to embody the invention adapted to be suspended in a refrigerator and for like purposes. 'Ihe thermometer It? is seen to comprise a suitable glass container, such as a test tube II, having an outturned flange IIa on the single open end I Ib thereof. In said tube I I there is fitted a scale sheet member I 2 carrying a spirit or mercury tube I3 mounted by spaced clips I4 against the front side of said scale member I2. The tube I5 may be of any conventional construction and is calibrated and adjusted to read temperature markings I2a imprinted on the front side of the scale member I2 in the well understood manner.`

The tube opening i ib has a closure cap i5 seated thereon, said cap being provided with a lateral eX- tended flange portion 55a terminated by inturned rim edge bead Stb. The mid-portion of the cap I5 may be provided With spaced openings I5c to permit the passage of. outside air into the tube 5 II, and a center opening Ebd through which an eyelet i6 extends. The inner end ita of said eyelet IS is spread apart so as to anchor the eyelet I6 to the cap i5. The eyelet ifi may engage with any suitable ready detachable means such as hook 10'..

I9 for attaching to a support. To secure the cap i5 in position over the tube opening i lb, there is provided a suitable resilient or yieldable coupling and as here shown, said coupling comprises a helical 4Wound spring il which normally has one end Ela thereof of a diameter less than that of the outturned tube flange ilo, the other end of said spring Ilb preferably being of slightly greater diameter than that of the inturned bead ith of the cap flange portion i511. Said spring il is inserted as shown in Figs. l, 4 and 'Y so as'to retain the cap I5 on the test tube I i. Preferably aresilient washer or gasket i3 made of cork, rubber or other suitable material may be interposed between the tube flange I la and the interior side of 25 the cap I5 to act as a shock absorbing means to eliminate possible breakage in handling the thermometers I0.

From the above description and Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the invention will now be apparent. After providing the simple parts as shown in the above mentioned figures, the thermometer I0 may be readily assembled by inserting the scale member I2 with the spirit tube I3 mounted thereon, into the test tube i I, and applying the closure cap I5, the spring Il first being inserted in position in said cap. Said spring I'I preferably is made of a size that the end Ilb thereof can be clipped in position after the tube flange IIa has been entered into the cap I 5 and seated on the gasket I3. 40 Then by simply pushing the end I'Ib of the spring between the sides'of the tube I i and the rim edge bead Ib, the spring may be snapped into place.

The hook I9 anchored to the cap I 5 by the eyelet IS provides means for suspending the thermometer I0 from the support such as the shelves of the inside of a refrigerator (not shown) in the Well understood manner.

It should be noted in practicing this invention that there is provided improved coupling or attachment means for the cap i5 with the test tube II, which has been fou-nd in the practice of thermometer construction in the lowest price field to be cheap and eihcient to a high degree since the attachment of a metal cap to a glass 55 tube gives a great deal of trouble and annoyance because of the diilerence of expansion of the glass with respect to said cap on change of temperature. Furthermore, in the factory production of this type of thermometers, it has been found that the test tubes vary in diameter, whereas the'metal caps are generally uniform, thereby making adhesive joints between the tubes and caps impractical structurally or economically. With the improved construction embodying the invention, such difficulties are entirely eliminated.

In Figs. 4 and 5 there is shown a modied form of the invention. Here instead of using the eyelet and hook, an angle bracket I I 5 is provided which is secured to the cap by a rivet i EQ, said bracket may be provided with holes illa adapted to receive screws or nails for mounting the thermometer in upright position on a Vertical support (not shown).

With this modied form of the invention, the test tube il and scale member I2 and spirit tube I3 may be readily rotated with respect to the cap i5 so as to face in any desired direction. llhis desirable feature would not be possible were the test tube Ii adhesively or otherwise rigidly secured to the cap I5.

In Fig. 6 is shown the modification with the parts assembled for overhead mounting to a vertical support. To change the assembly of parts sho-wn in Figs. 4 and 5 to that shown in 6, the cap I5 is removed from the tube II and the scale member i2 and spirit tube E3 reversed in the test tube EI. The cap I5 is then reapplied with the bracket arm H6 forming means for overhead mounting shown.

In Figs. 7 and 8 there is shown still another modification of the invention. Here the cap I5 is provided with a base or foot 2te, the latter being fastened to the cap I5 by an eyelet rivet 2*!9. Said base 2I may have one or more openings fitta to provide passage for outside air to and through said eyelet rivet 2I9 and into the test tube II.

The cap I5 in all modifications may be applied and fitted to the tubes II in the same manner as described above and shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in which the several objects of this invention are achieved and which is adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various other possible embodiments might be made of the above invention and as various changes might be made in the embodiments set forth, it is to be understood that all matters herein set forth as shown in the accompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l. A thermometer comprising a glass tube having an outwardly extending flange on an open end thereof, a temperature indicating means seated in said tube, a perforated cap formed with an inturned bead fitted over said open end and ange for enclosing said indicating means, a helical spring having one end of slightly smaller diameter than the outwardly extending flange of the tube and the other end of slightly greater diameter than the inturned bead of the cap for coacting with said flange and bead to form a resilient coupling for retaining the cap in its seated position, and means secured to the cap for supporting the thermometer in a vertical position.

2. n a device of the character described, a receptacle having an outwardly extending fiange on an open end thereof, a cap formed with an inturned bead fitted over said open end and flange to provide a closure for said receptacle, a helical spring having one end of slightly smaller diameter the outwardly extending flange of the receptacle and the other end of slightly greater diameter than the inturned bead of the cap for coacting with said iiange and bead to form a resilient coupling for retaining the cap in its seated position.

HERMAN NEUWIRTH. 

